


imperfect

by wyomingnot



Series: Lonely Robot Boy [3]
Category: Ex Machina (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 22:15:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7010473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyomingnot/pseuds/wyomingnot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A missing scene from These Points of Data Make a Beautiful Line.  Just the two Calebs talking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	imperfect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cormallen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cormallen/gifts).



> Different POV means different naming convention from the original story. Capital C Caleb is real boy Caleb. Small c caleb is robot Caleb.

You’d think it’d be like looking in a mirror, looking at your double. But it isn’t. 

“Is that really how I move?” Caleb asks.

“Mostly? Nathan… smoothed out the rough edges, so to speak, in the movements. I’m less likely to trip and fall than you are. But, say, hand movements? Facial expressions? Yeah,” caleb says, “that’s how you move.”

“Huh.” Caleb scratches his head. “And that’s what I look like from the outside?” he asks.

“It’s what you looked like when you were here before.”

“Is the resemblance... “ He hesitates and gestures vaguely with his hands. “Complete?” At caleb’s confused look, he clarifies, “Do your toes look like my toes? And so on.”

“I don’t know,” caleb answers, looking down at his feet. “I’ve never actually looked at the scanning data. And never looked closely at any pictures to compare.” He looks to his hands, then to Caleb’s hands. “I think our hands are the same.” He puts his palm against the glass and spreads his fingers. 

Caleb leans forward and puts his hand up for comparison. They are essentially identical, but not completely. caleb has no calluses and none of the tiny scars Caleb has. Did the scans not pick up the small marks? Every other detail is so exacting; it had to be deliberate. 

Of course caleb notices the differences. “Not identical after all. Odd.”

“Nathan is a perfectionist. Of course he left out scars and other imperfections. Nothing odd about that.” 

“But that makes me an imperfect copy. Why include everything else? Every little detail of your life? And not include these?” caleb traces his finger around the outline of Caleb’s hand.

“What difference would it make? It’s just window dressing. You didn’t have the experience of getting the scars. These,” Caleb paused to shake both his hands in front of his face, “are just part of a set. You should be glad you didn’t have to get them the way I did.”

“That’s another difference. I can’t feel pain. If I were in a car accident, I would know I’d been damaged, and the extent of the damage, but it wouldn’t register as pain. Unless, of course, I was knocked completely offline.”

“Again, something to be glad of.”

“Again, an imperfection. Pain is part of being human.”  
Caleb shakes his head. “You’re plenty human. People always want what they haven’t got.”

“Scars and pain are things I hadn’t really thought about before now, though. I haven’t wanted much in the way of things. Nathan gets me the stuff I ask for. As for my actual self, I’ve been content with what I have.”

“You’re content with this body? This face?” Caleb gestures at himself. He’s never been content with either, but it’s what he’s got and he accepts that.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” caleb stands up and turns around slowly with his arms out. “People are conditioned to think less of themselves. A disadvantage I haven’t had. I’ve watched a lot of movies and tv, for research. You have a pleasant face and body. I like it. Nathan and Kyoko like it.”

“Two people is a rather small sample group.”

caleb shrugs. “Yeah, but they _really_ like it.”

Caleb buries his face in his hands; the implication is clear, and he just does not even want to know. Time to shift the topic a little. He looks back up; caleb is seated again, a little wrinkle of concern between his brows. “So, you wouldn’t prefer a different body, given the choice?”

“Would you?” caleb asks. 

“Prefer to have a different body? Not really an option, so I don’t see the point in thinking about it.” He’s thinking about it now, though. Dammit.

“This topic is making you uncomfortable.” It’s definitely not a question.

“A little, yeah,” Caleb admits. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I brought up the subject.” It’s too early for a break, even though he’d really like to get out of this room right now. “You could tell me about the coding you’ve been doing.”

“I could! I’d like that.” caleb’s face lights up as he starts talking about the various projects he’s been working on.

Caleb sets aside all the body issues running around his head that he thought he’d dealt with a long time ago. He wants to run away from the idea that maybe Nathan and Kyoko have intimate knowledge of his body, but caleb’s sexuality probably should be taken into account when deciding if there’s something Wrong or not. Which means talking about it. But not now. Later.

**Author's Note:**

> cormallen asked for more of the Calebs, and who am I to refuse?


End file.
